Hackers hit Israeli Defense Ministry

January 30, 2014 By JTA

Hackers, believed to be Palestinian, broke into a computer of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Jerusalem.

Malicious software infected the computer in Israel’s Civil Administration that monitors the movement of goods and people between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza, according to Seculert, an Israeli cybersecurity firm.

The software entered in an email that reportedly looked like it had been sent from Israel’s Shin Bet security service. Seculert said last Sunday that the hackers took over 15 computers earlier this month, including one in the Defense Ministry, Reuters reported.

The attack is similar to one launched on Israeli computers more than a year ago that originated in Gaza, Reuters reported, citing Aviv Raff, chief technology officer at Seculert. This month’s attack originated from a server in the United States.